Syrkarn's east coast is well traveled by fishing boats and smaller craft. "Brinehand" Barnan (LN male dwarf warrior 3/expert 2) is a seafaring Tashanan whose thickly muscled arms can pull a scull faster than most of his kin can run. The deep-keeled sloops he builds and hires are his own custom design. Half the size of a standard keelboat, they are weighted and balanced specifically for the often treacherous open water between Syrkarn and Adar, and they can maintain a speed of 4 miles per hour under sail.
A hired ship has a crew of six and can carry up to twelve passengers and their gear at a rate of 1 sp per mile. Barnan's crews travel north only as far as the mouth of the River Qitha, since they have no interest in drawing the attention of the Riedran forts that line Jathara Sound beyond.
PCs who have brought their own transportation from Khorvaire can hire Barnan to oversee necessary repairs while in port. The crews Barnan hires (typically experienced sailors from the fisherfolk families) are first-rate and can handle virtually any work that might be needed after a rough sea crossing. Barnan and his crews can do mundane repairs on airships and elemental galleons, but there are no facilities or NPCs in Ardhmen capable of repairing the bound-elemental workings of such vessels.
Adventure Hooks: Barnan's crews do not engage Riedran forces or attempt the dangerous crossing to Adar under any circumstances, but characters are free to buy one of his ships outright (3,000 gp). Adar is a land at war, however, and strangers intent on sailing there should give its settlements (particularly the secret port at Dvaarnava) a wide berth.
Within Ardhmen itself, Barnan can prove a useful ally for PCs who have a vessel of their own that needs repairs or docking while the party heads inland. Though Barnan is unscrupulously honest, PCs might find themselves caught up in intrigue if their vessel becomes a target for thieves, smugglers, or operatives of the Thousand Eyes.